New here, Need Advice on My PF Situation.

So, I have been dealing with Plantar Fasciitis for about 5 years, but recently got it diagnosed and identified as PF from a podiatrist 2 years ago. I have arched feet and PF affects me in both my feet. The pain that comes with it is extreme and after the original diagnosis and receiving custom-made insoles, I have not seen anymore professional help.

The custom-made insoles did absolutely nothing and the pain is getting worse and worse. I work out and play basketball almost on an everyday basis and I fight through the pain, but most times it is too unbearable for me to continue with physical activity after the inflammation starts to begin.

Replies to This Discussion

I recently posted about my PF situation as well. It also affects both of my feet. When people ask what I'm always going to the doctor for or why I'm in pain, my reply is now "Imagine plantar fasciitis...times a thousand." because unlike "usual" PF cases I have heard about, it is getting worse and not better. I have been also dealing with it for quite some time, but over the past year it has become almost debilitating.

I have tried different shoes and OTC insoles, and I'm in the process of getting new custom made ones to give them another shot. I would not recommend OTC insoles personally, only because they are not custom to your feet size and arches- people ask "Have you tried any Dr. Scholls?" and I pretty much take it as a joke...However, I have never seen or heard of the kind you just posted, and they seem to have good reviews. $80 for a pair is expensive, but still way cheaper than custom made orthotics from my doctor.

It wouldn't hurt to try those insoles. I went to physical therapy for about 2 months to try and strengthen the muscles in my feet and ankles to provide some relief- it did not help my feet so I discontinued, but I still do some of the stretches that they taught me, especially in the morning before I put any weight on them. Here are some things that have (somewhat) helped me:

I wouldn't recommend sleeping in these, as sometimes the pressure will be too great and I've woken up at night to take them off.

At times, I will just use ace bandages and wrap my feet/ankles like you would for a sprained ankle. Lots of pressure (while not standing or walking) can sometimes relieve some pain.

-Icing: I'm sure you have tried icing your feet, but icing before and after you work out may help.

-Towel stretches: get a chair, sit, and lay a regular sized bath towel on a hard floor surface (hardwood, tile, etc) in front of you. one foot at a time, scrunch the towel using your toes until you reach the end- aim for under 2 minutes per foot. if the towel bunches up, you can just pull it a little and continue "scrunching" until you reach the end of the towel. I'm sure there are youtube videos that explain it better!!

-Calf/foot stretches: since you work out and play basketball, I'm sure you stretch a lot, but make sure you focus on stretching your calves. If you sit on a chair and cross a leg over the other, pull your toes back with one hand and your heel back with your other hand and hold for 20 seconds to stretch the plantar fascia.

I would go to a well known orthopedic podiatrist in your area, not just a regular podiatrist, if you haven't already. Ortho podiatrists are much more knowledgeable with pain and healing, regular pods are usually skilled treating bunions and more basic foot issues. When you go to the ortho, tell them how severe your pain is, and how long it is been, and especially that it is getting worse and not better. They should give you a referral for bloodwork to check for rheumatoid arthritis and some fatigue labs. RA is common in two sides of the body at once (both feet, both elbows, etc) so they may want to check for that. Fatigue labs can find a vitamin deficiency that can cause pain. I tested negative for RA, but I did have a vitamin D deficiency- unfortunately getting prescribed a high dosage of vitamin D did not help my feet, but it did help with my energy and mood! Another thing to ask for is nerve tests of your feet, ankles, and back, I think it's called an EEG? This will assess your nerves to make sure there is no damage there. You have to make sure you ask them to go all the way up to your back, because your spine needs to be checked out as well. I'm in the process of getting an MRI of my back to triple-check as well, but they probably won't order one for you unless you get the nerve tests done first.

I'm now looking into a double plantar fasciotomy if the results of my back come out normal. I will keep you posted! I hope some of this helps at least a little bit. Good luck!!!

Thanks for all that advice, definitely going to try the stretches you mentioned. It's funny because I own that exact same compression sock you mentioned and I have the same exact problems with it when wearing it through the night. But other than that, I have to say those socks to feel like they work. Anyways, I appreciate all this advice and good luck to you too, Kate!

Kate Lib said:

Hi Bryan,

I recently posted about my PF situation as well. It also affects both of my feet. When people ask what I'm always going to the doctor for or why I'm in pain, my reply is now "Imagine plantar fasciitis...times a thousand." because unlike "usual" PF cases I have heard about, it is getting worse and not better. I have been also dealing with it for quite some time, but over the past year it has become almost debilitating.

I have tried different shoes and OTC insoles, and I'm in the process of getting new custom made ones to give them another shot. I would not recommend OTC insoles personally, only because they are not custom to your feet size and arches- people ask "Have you tried any Dr. Scholls?" and I pretty much take it as a joke...However, I have never seen or heard of the kind you just posted, and they seem to have good reviews. $80 for a pair is expensive, but still way cheaper than custom made orthotics from my doctor.

It wouldn't hurt to try those insoles. I went to physical therapy for about 2 months to try and strengthen the muscles in my feet and ankles to provide some relief- it did not help my feet so I discontinued, but I still do some of the stretches that they taught me, especially in the morning before I put any weight on them. Here are some things that have (somewhat) helped me:

I wouldn't recommend sleeping in these, as sometimes the pressure will be too great and I've woken up at night to take them off.

At times, I will just use ace bandages and wrap my feet/ankles like you would for a sprained ankle. Lots of pressure (while not standing or walking) can sometimes relieve some pain.

-Icing: I'm sure you have tried icing your feet, but icing before and after you work out may help.

-Towel stretches: get a chair, sit, and lay a regular sized bath towel on a hard floor surface (hardwood, tile, etc) in front of you. one foot at a time, scrunch the towel using your toes until you reach the end- aim for under 2 minutes per foot. if the towel bunches up, you can just pull it a little and continue "scrunching" until you reach the end of the towel. I'm sure there are youtube videos that explain it better!!

-Calf/foot stretches: since you work out and play basketball, I'm sure you stretch a lot, but make sure you focus on stretching your calves. If you sit on a chair and cross a leg over the other, pull your toes back with one hand and your heel back with your other hand and hold for 20 seconds to stretch the plantar fascia.

I would go to a well known orthopedic podiatrist in your area, not just a regular podiatrist, if you haven't already. Ortho podiatrists are much more knowledgeable with pain and healing, regular pods are usually skilled treating bunions and more basic foot issues. When you go to the ortho, tell them how severe your pain is, and how long it is been, and especially that it is getting worse and not better. They should give you a referral for bloodwork to check for rheumatoid arthritis and some fatigue labs. RA is common in two sides of the body at once (both feet, both elbows, etc) so they may want to check for that. Fatigue labs can find a vitamin deficiency that can cause pain. I tested negative for RA, but I did have a vitamin D deficiency- unfortunately getting prescribed a high dosage of vitamin D did not help my feet, but it did help with my energy and mood! Another thing to ask for is nerve tests of your feet, ankles, and back, I think it's called an EEG? This will assess your nerves to make sure there is no damage there. You have to make sure you ask them to go all the way up to your back, because your spine needs to be checked out as well. I'm in the process of getting an MRI of my back to triple-check as well, but they probably won't order one for you unless you get the nerve tests done first.

I'm now looking into a double plantar fasciotomy if the results of my back come out normal. I will keep you posted! I hope some of this helps at least a little bit. Good luck!!!

Plantar Fascitis is incredibly painful. The body is an incredible machine that can heal and I have found a blood flow stimulation therapy foot wrap that helps the body achieve healing in an shorter and more effective timeframe. This condition can take many months to heal but when high quality (highly oxygenated blood and nutrient rich blood) can be concentrated into the foot site of the plantar fascia, the healing by the body is incredible! It is a proven fact that the body heals better when there is this ideal healing environment and these wraps are what the foot needs to get the healing done. The other wrap that is available with King Brand is the ColdCure wrap. the gel packs that come with this foot wrap are extraordinary. When placed into the wrap and snugged around the foot, the gel will mould to the shape of the foot thereby the plantar has consistent cold compression treatment from behind the heel along the sole of the foot! Check out their website. They really do work! http://www.kingbrand.com/Plantar_Fasciitis_Treatment.php?REF=47PV1

Is their cold product really necessary? The blood flow stimulator makes so much sense! My doctor tells me to rest my foot, my physical therapist tells me to exercise it to draw blood to it, talk about a catch 22. I'm going to show them both this BFST stimulator. How long does it take notice a difference? I see they have a 30 day money back guarantee. Thanks for posting =D!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jessica Wild said:

Plantar Fascitis is incredibly painful. The body is an incredible machine that can heal and I have found a blood flow stimulation therapy foot wrap that helps the body achieve healing in an shorter and more effective timeframe. This condition can take many months to heal but when high quality (highly oxygenated blood and nutrient rich blood) can be concentrated into the foot site of the plantar fascia, the healing by the body is incredible! It is a proven fact that the body heals better when there is this ideal healing environment and these wraps are what the foot needs to get the healing done. The other wrap that is available with King Brand is the ColdCure wrap. the gel packs that come with this foot wrap are extraordinary. When placed into the wrap and snugged around the foot, the gel will mould to the shape of the foot thereby the plantar has consistent cold compression treatment from behind the heel along the sole of the foot! Check out their website. They really do work! http://www.kingbrand.com/Plantar_Fasciitis_Treatment.php?REF=47PV1

Hello and I have an exercise for Plantar Fasciitis that a Physical Therapist taught me that took away the pain right away . I did them first thing in the morning and at night when needed. The exercise is this: Stand facing a wall, several inches away, put both arms up over your head and put both hands on the wall. you need to do both feet, one at a time. Now place your right foot up on the wall, up to the ball of your foot, lean forward, very slowly, until you feel a stretch in your calf. Do this until you feel the calf is relaxed and does not hurt anymore . Reverse feet and do the same. The will take away the pain right away I hope for you too. Be careful not to overstretch she told me. If you need more instructions just Google Plantar Fasciitis exercises and you will find this one and others. Also I bought removable inserts inner soles that had Plantar Fasciitis written in the pair about 10 dollars at Wal-mart the PT told me to get these. Hope works good for you too. Sandy B

I have a bunion, hammer toes, wide front foot and narrow heel, low arches but none of that matters with the construction of orthofeet's shoes. I used to have pain in my heels and balls of my feet but no more. Yesterday I walked 7 miles and didn't come home with that "I can't wait to get these shoes off" feeling you get with other brands. They start off comfortable and stay comfortable. Thank you!!!!

I have suffered with plantar fasciitis for close to three years now. It is an incredibly painful and frustrating disorder. I have tried almost everything - custom orthotic inserts, physical therapy, cortisone injections, a walking boot, heel lifts, surgery, etc. I have started a blog documenting my journey with PF that you are welcome to check out my blog for some tips and advice.